Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · Games and Experiential Media

Critical Game Design

M.S. in Critical Game Design

Master'sMSGame Studies & ResearchDedicated degree

Overview

An on-campus master's in Troy combining game design practice with critical game studies; students design their own games and complete a year-long Master's Project.

Official program title: Critical Game Design
Exact award: M.S. in Critical Game Design
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Degree level: Master's
Discipline: Game Studies & Research Game Design
Degree type: Dedicated degree
School and department: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute — Games and Experiential Media
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Troy, NY
Emphasis: Studio and research
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this program is listed

Dedicated master's in Critical Game Design.

Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list dedicated game degrees and officially named game concentrations at institutionally accredited US schools. Eligibility rules

Format, length and attendance

Delivery, campus attendance, schedule and study intensity are separate facts, each shown only as the school states it. Online coursework does not by itself mean there is no residency, exhibition, internship or proctored exam.

Delivery: On campusClasses meet on campus.
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Campus attendance: Regular campus attendanceClasses meet on campus (campus and hybrid programs).
Study intensity: Not published
Duration: Not verified
Credits: Not verified

Curriculum

What the school publishes about the program's game design, programming, art and production content. Tools and engines are listed only when the school names them — a program not listed as teaching Unity or Unreal may still use them, but we have not verified it.

Students take a seminar in cultural analysis of games and interactive media and a course in game design research methods, plus rotating research classes and free/HASS electives. A year-long Master's Project, advised by a GEM faculty member, includes a production deliverable and written research documentation.

Curriculum overview

Seminar in cultural analyses of games and interactive media plus a course in game design research methods; rotating research classes each semester.
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Capstone

Independent, year-long Master's Project advised by a GEM faculty member.
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other published details

Co-terminal students from the undergraduate GSAS major are among the MS students.
Source: hass.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Hardware and software requirements

No hardware or software requirement published on the pages we checked.

Admissions and portfolio

Required, optional and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Portfolio

Portfolio required

Examples of prior work (e.g., portfolio, project samples).

Official portfolio instructions

Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Prior degree: RequiredFour-year U.S. bachelor's degree or equivalent by planned enrollment.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Statement / essay: RequiredPersonal statement.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Recommended3 letters — Two recommenders required by the application; three strongly encouraged for Critical Game Design.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Résumé / CV: RequiredResume or curriculum vitae.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Writing sample: RequiredAdditional scholarly writing sample.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Research proposal: RequiredSeparate Research Proposal describing research goals and academic plan.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Required$75 — Nonrefundable application processing fee of $75.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Optional
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
TOEFL iBT: Required for some applicantsInternational applicants whose native language is not English.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
IELTS Academic: Required for some applicants — minimum 6.5International applicants whose native language is not English.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Duolingo English Test: Required for some applicants — minimum 120International applicants whose native language is not English.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
PTE Academic: Required for some applicants — minimum 59International applicants whose native language is not English.
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances. How to prepare a game design portfolio

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
August 15, 2026 · for Spring 2027
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Passed
Application deadline
March 1, 2027 · for Fall 2027
Source: gradadmissions.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Upcoming

Tuition and costs

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
All students — Graduate, full-time tuitionFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$66,300	per academic year · 2026-2027Source: graduate.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026
All students — Graduate, part-time tuition per credit hourFrom the school-wide rate table for this level	$2,210	per credit · 2026-2027Source: graduate.rpi.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Understanding tuition and equipment costs

Scholarships, assistantships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for students at this level. “Guaranteed” only when the school says every eligible student receives it. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships. Scholarships guide

Program-specific funding: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation and authorization

Institutional accreditation covers the school. Programmatic accreditation is shown only when it is named for this program — it is never transferred from another department or degree.

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 12, 2026

Programmatic accreditation

None verified for this program. Game design degrees do not require one specific specialized accreditation.

International applicants

Not verified for this program.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last checked October 12, 2026.

gradadmissions.rpi.edu/deadlines-and-requirements — Official admissions page, verified October 12, 2026
graduate.rpi.edu/funding-and-fellowships — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
hass.rpi.edu/departments-games-and-experiential-media/academics — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
hass.rpi.edu/gsas/critical-game-design — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-12) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 12, 2026

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